Separated by Hate
by prophet144
Summary: AU -  Tommy Oliver has a younger brother, but what caused them to become separated? This is a series of one shots to help bridge the gap that ends with my story "Family Stands".
1. Three Years Nine Months

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers or anything connected to them. Definitely not making any money from this.

Warning: There is the mention of child abuse in this chapter. Is it not descriptive in anyway. If you know someone that you suspect is being abused, please, report it. Okay, I'm off the soapbox and you have been warned.

3yrs 9mo

There were 126 lines on his ceiling. Over the past few months, he'd spent a lot of time looking up at them and had counted them repeatedly.

The floor had 473 squares that weren't covered by some piece of furniture. His dresser was bare now. Trophies he had collected over the years now gathered dust in a box in his closet. He was forbidden to leave them sitting out anymore. That lesson had been learned with 28 strokes of his step-father's shaving strap.

No posters were allowed to hang on the wall anymore. The ones he'd had were shredded in front of him while he knelt in the middle of his floor. His door had no lock and he was given no expectation of privacy. At any given time, his mom's husband could come barging in for whatever reason he saw fit. Violating that rule, by blocking the door with something, would result in another 'discipline lesson'. That one was reinforced with a switch that he'd have to go out and cut himself.

If anyone were to come into the house and look around, his bedroom would look like a guest room. There was nothing personal laying about anywhere. Each morning, his bed was made to his step-father's standards. For everything that was out of place or not up to par, a suitable punishment was found.

Crying wasn't allowed in the house, even his mother was forced to cry in the shower. That was if she cried at all anymore. Likewise, getting blood anywhere wasn't allowed. If he had to clean himself up after a 'lesson', there was to be no evidence of it left anywhere. Old black T-shirts had become his favorite rags. They were used to not only clean cuts, but to bandage anything that needed it. Black hid the red of blood really well.

At times, he almost wished that he had to take gym. Maybe then, someone would notice. If he had to dress out everyday, then maybe the PE teacher would see that something was wrong. Instead, he was made to change at home before his karate class. Several times, he almost spoke up about what was going on, but the thought of his mother being alone with the man she married made him keep his silence.

When he was told that he was going to be playing football and baseball if he wanted to keep taking karate, his heart fell. Two more things that could cover up the bruises that he got outside of his martial arts classes.

There were times that he wished that he was normal. That his family was normal. Other times, he realized that if his family had been normal, then his brother wouldn't be the person that he was or have the friends that he did. If his family had been normal, then he would have been dead by now. The thought that one day his mom might stand up for him kept him going. Above everything else though, an idea had started forming at the back of his mind. A way to get out of his situation.

Life was precious to him, but his was a living hell. The only thing that could make it better was to be with the one person he knew loved him, no matter that they were unable to see each other regularly. Hell, seeing each other at all was forbidden. That was a punishment he didn't know if he ever wanted to find out about. Slowly, he was building up a bit of cash. The unauthorized birthday cards his brother and 'uncles' gave him always held some money. That was all safely hidden beneath one of his dresser drawers. He was just waiting on a sign now. Something from his mother to tell him she was no longer there for him or that she still loved him. Another threat from his step-father against himself or his brother.

Yeah, that's all it was now. A waiting game. Until then, he counted. There were 3 different colors in the carpet. The last time he'd seen his brother, he'd been wearing two of the three colors he'd favored. At his side, the man that his brother loved wore one of his own favorite colors.

Three years, nine months since the last time he'd seen his brother. For Tyler Andrew Oliver-Johnson, it was all about numbers and doing something to pass the time until he could escape.

* * *

A/N: I have not abandoned any of my stories. Chapter 10 of "Family Stands" is in the works. The chapter holds a lot of information that is important for the development of the rest of the story and it's taking me a while to make sure it's 'right' for my readers.

In the mean time, I've realized that there is a gap that needs to be filled in my universe. To close that gap, I'm doing a series of one shots and small chapter fics to tide you over until the next chapter of "Family" is ready.


	2. Bad Slides

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers or anything connected to them. Definitely not making any money from this.

Warning: There is the mention of child abuse in this chapter. Is it not descriptive in anyway. If you know someone that you suspect is being abused, please, report it. Okay, I'm off the soapbox and you have been warned.

Bad Slides

He. Hated. Pitching. With a grunt of effort, he threw the ball again, putting it low and away in the strike zone.

"Strike three!!" The umpire calls. 'Smack' goes his glove as the first baseman returns him the ball after a round robin of the empty bases.

Sighing, he watched the next batter settle into the box. I – he starts his wind up – hate – zeroing in on his target, he finishes his pattern and releases the ball – pitching.

"Sttttrrrriiiiikkkkeee!" Goes the umpire as the batter gives a mighty lunge at the ball.

Shaking his head, he catches the ball when it's returned to him by his catcher. The next two pitches are exactly the same and he dully drops the ball to the ground before jogging off the field. His team mates are ecstatic. So far in the game, there had been no true hits. Only a couple of foul balls. Granted, they'd been getting out on stolen bases, but as long as one run got home this inning, the game was over.

"Tyler, you're up." His coach didn't need to tell him that. Grabbing his helmet and a bat, he slides his other batting glove on as he walks to the on-deck circle. Once that was done, he took a couple of warm up swings before approaching the plate.

If he hated pitching, then he absolutely loathed having to bat. All of the players of the opposing team were out to get him. The last time he'd been up to bat, the first baseman had caught him in the shoulder with his foot on a return slide to the bag. He really wasn't looking forward to what might happen this time around.

The state finals. At least it was the end of the season before something like this happened. They'd won, but he was too busy worrying about the scrapes and cuts that ran from above his left hip down to the middle of his thigh.

Turns out he'd been right to worry about the other team's plans for him. When he went to steal second, the guy had other plans and blocked the base path. That meant a head first slide was going to be out of the question, so he went cleats first. Only problem with that? The other guy cleated him instead. Luckily, he'd been safe and the substitute runner had made it home.

Now, he was going to have to find out what the punishment was for getting blood in the car. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he walked over to where his step-father waited for him.

Who said that winning made you feel all warm inside? Because they sure hadn't met Russell Johnson.

The strong hand that clamped down on his shoulder made him wince, but Tyler said nothing as they made their way to the car. It was easy to fake a smile and wave at his team mates as they all headed their separate ways.

For them, school being out meant sleeping in late and going to the beach. No more homework or having to look at teachers for three months.

To him, it meant getting up at 5am every morning. A five mile run had to be completed by 5:30. There were no breaks once he got home either. A quick, cold shower and he was downstairs making coffee for his step-father. Then a review of all the chores he had to do before the man came home. They all had to be done, or he'd be on his knees explaining why he was a lazy, no-good that would never get anywhere in the world.

No, to him, summers were hell. His escapes were his martial arts classes and Saturdays, when he worked at the dojo to pay for them. It wasn't really necessary, but the day was an escape from the hell that had become his life.

Each day, he crossed off another day on his calendar, stuck between the mattress and boxspring of his bed. The end of each day brought him one step closer to the freedom that school offered.

For now, he removed his dirty, black T-shirt from his bag and put it on the seat before climbing into the car. At least this way, the blood wouldn't show or get on the seats. Nothing was said on the ride home, but then again, it wasn't unusual.

An outsider watching the car at a light would have thought the young man had lost instead of won, but it was just another thing that no one ever questioned.

When he got home, a thorough check of the seat showed it was clean and he went inside. Going up to his room, Tyler looked one more time at the two trophies he'd earned that day. Then he opened up his closet and pulled the box that rested in the back forward. Carefully, he placed the Junior High State Champion Baseball trophy into the box along with the Most Valuable Player award. Sliding the box back, he got to his feet and went to take a shower.

He had chores to do and there was nothing he could do to get out of them.


	3. Discoveries

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers or anything related to them. Nor am I making money from this. Tyler and anyone you don't recognize from the show, is mine however, and if you want to use them, please ask first.

Warning: Some of the prequel stuff, one-shots and short chapter stories, that you might read will cover some of what happened to Tyler. It's to close the gap between what I'm covering in the story, "Family Stands". This way, I don't have to add a whole slew of flashbacks. It also gives you guys something to read between chapters. None of the prequel stuff is pretty. Hopefully, it'll give you a better idea of what all Tyler has been through and maybe even a little peek into Russell's head.

Discoveries

Rocky found the box pushed into the back of the teen's closet. He frowned as he pulled it out. When he realized what it held, his anger at Russell Johnson grew even more. Trophy after trophy he pulled out of the box. Some were from martial arts tournaments. A couple were from baseball and football. There were even a few academic awards in the box. Sighing, he carefully returned the items and stood up, then looked around the room once more.

The room was plain. If he didn't know any better, Rocky would think that no one had occupied this room full time for years. The bed was a twin and no longer fit the boy that had been sleeping in it. All of the colors in the room were plain, dark and didn't fit with the young man's personality.

All of the walls were bare except for the dull gray paint that adorned them. The carpet was a tri-color that he could remember being there when he was a teenager and came to the Oliver-Johnson house to visit Tommy. It was hard to envision that Tyler's room would have ever lost the posters of bands, actors and martial artists. Several of them, Rocky knew Tommy had given his little brother.

There was no warmth in the room at all. Shaking his head, he finished packing the rest of the teen's clothes. Considering that they all fit into one big duffle bag, it was quick work. With the box on his hip and the bag over his shoulder, Rocky made his way back down the stairs and out of the house. He locked the door before he left, but only because it was technically still a crime scene.

On the drive back to Reefside, he couldn't help but wish that they'd been able to help Tyler sooner or that Tommy had done more damage to Russell than he had. It still made his blood boil that the psycho bastard had stabbed Tyler. The teen was defenseless, already laid up in a hospital bed and sick. What had the idiot been trying to do?

He sighed as he pulled up into the drive of 1992 Valencia Road. There wasn't anyone home, but he wanted to drop the items he'd collected off before going up to the hospital again and checking on his 'nephew'. Using the key he'd been given, he entered the two-story ranch style house. The duffle bag he left in the laundry room. It would be up to Tommy and Jason if they wanted to keep any of the teen's clothes or just buy him all new ones. As for the box of trophies, he took them up to the teen's new room.

Walking in, it was the complete opposite of the room the young man had lived in before. Hunter green carpet decorated the floor. A dark wood dresser and chest of drawers stood ready to receive his clothes. The queen sized bed, likewise, had a dark cherry headboard and footboard. The black comforter was turned back, revealing the deep green on it's underside along with the dark green sheets.

Several posters were already on the off-white walls while a TV and DVD/VCR combo sat on a small entertainment center. He knew that Adam was getting the boy a new stereo as a 'Welcome Home' present. A soft chuckle came from the former-ranger-turned-social worker when he spotted the green dragon, white tiger, red T-rex, a red gorilla, tan bear – Aisha just hadn't been able to find a yellow one she liked – and black frog that awaited their owner, spread out over the pillows of the bed. Tanya had already met up with David, Tyler and Tommy's half-brother, to pick up a dreamcatcher he'd made. She'd also gotten the teen a choker that resembled one that Tommy wore on occasion. That was laid on the nightstand in front of the last picture taken with the two brothers, whole and happy.

Rocky remembered that day. They'd all been having a picnic in the park before school started. College for them and middle school for Tyler. Tanya had captured the picture as Tommy rested against a tree, Tyler's back pulled into his chest. The elder Oliver had been wearing a white shirt over a green muscle shirt while Tyler had on a simple green tank top. It was almost eerie at how much they looked alike, even then. The last four years had only brought about an increase in their likeness to such a point, that you had to look at the year on the pictures or see who's around the person in it, in order to figure out which brother the picture happened to contain.

He grinned. It had been kind of funny before they all went on their Zeo quests to see Tommy and Tyler standing side-by-side. A couple of times, the two brothers had been confused for one another by almost everyone in the command center. Jason was the one that finally found a way to tell the two apart and then it became a matter of making sure Tyler always wore the communicator he'd been given on his right wrist. While he was glad that they had all been returned to their normal ages, it had been worth the time spent as a kid again to see the two brothers that close.

Maybe now, with them being back together once again, they could regain the closeness they once shared. Then again, stranger things had happened. Again, he grinned at that as he started down the stairs once more, the box of trophies left on the dresser. If anyone had told him that he'd be battling giant monsters while inside a robot that was 20 stories high, he'd have told them they were mad. Whatever person in the universe that found him worthy of such an honor, he'd have to thank. Without that, he thought it doubtful that he'd ever found Aisha after giving up the Turbo powers. Or that she'd have come back to California after her time in Africa. It was just another mystery that went with being a Power Ranger.

Exiting the house, he pulled the door closed and re-locked it, then got back in his car and started towards the hospital. He had to tell Jason and Tommy about what he'd found in Tyler's closet. It took a mental pause for him to not call where Tyler had been living a home, because home is where you are loved and cared for. Home is where the teen was going to be living now, surrounded by people that loved and cared for him. The place where Ty had been living for the last few years was a house, that lacked the warmth and love that made it a true home.

No, things were definitely going to be different for young Mr. Oliver. Changes had already been made in his life and more were coming. Hopefully, the ones coming up were mostly positive and could help heal the damage that a person who oh-so-obviously lacked a heart had caused. Rocky knew, that if he had anything to say about it, and was quite sure the others felt the same way, that Tyler was never going to want for lack of love, caring, compassion and understanding again.

A/N: I know that it had said it was completed, but this one fit in with the rest.


End file.
